18.3.4.060Site Development and Design Standards

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The Normal Neighborhood District Design Standards provide specific requirements for the physical orientation, uses and arrangement of buildings; the management of parking; and access to development parcels. Development located in the Normal Neighborhood District must be designed and constructed consistent with the Site Design and Use Standards chapter 18.5.2 and the following:

A. Street Design and Access Standards.Design and construct streets and public improvements in accordance with the Ashland Street Standards. A change in the design of a street in a manner inconsistent with the Normal Neighborhood Plan requires a minor amendment in accordance with section 18.3.4.030.B.

a. Streets designated as Shared Streets on the Normal Neighborhood Plan Street Network Map may be alternatively developed as alleys, or multiuse paths provided the following:

i. Impacts to the water protection zones are minimized to the greatest extent feasible.

ii. Pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity, as indicated on the Normal Avenue Neighborhood Plan Pedestrian and Bicycle Network Map, is maintained or enhanced.

2. Storm water management.The Normal Neighborhood Plan uses street trees, green streets, and other green infrastructure to manage storm water, protect water quality and improve watershed health. Discharge of storm water runoff must be directed into a designated green street and neighborhood storm water treatment facilities.

a. Design Green Streets.Streets designated as Green Streets within the Street Network, and as approved by the Public Works Department, shall conform to the following standards:

i. New streets must be developed so as to capture and treat storm water in conformance with the City of Ashland Storm Water Master Plan.

ii.

3. Access Management Standards.To manage access to land uses and on-site circulation, and maintain transportation safety and operations, vehicular access must conform to the standards set forth in section 18.4.3.080, and as follows:

a. Automobile access to development is intended to be provided by alleys where possible consistent with the street connectivity approval standards.

b. Curb cuts along a Neighborhood Collector or shared street are to be limited to one per block, or one per 200 feet where established block lengths exceed 400 feet.

4. Required On-Street Parking.On-street parking is a key strategy to traffic calming and is required along the Neighborhood Collector and Local Streets.

B. Site and Building Design Standards.

1. Lot and Building Orientation:

a. Lot Frontage Requirements.Lots in the Normal Neighborhood are required to have their Front Lot Line on a street or a Common Green.

b. Common Green.The Common Green provides access for pedestrians and bicycles to abutting properties. Common greens are also intended to serve as a common open space amenity for residents. The following approval criteria and standards apply to common greens:

i. Common Greens must include at least 400 square feet of grassy area, play area, or dedicated gardening space, which must be at least 15 feet wide at its narrowest dimension.

2. Cottage Housing [Reserved].

3. Conservation of Natural Areas.Development plans must preserve water quality, natural hydrology and habitat, and preserve biodiversity through protection of streams and wetlands. In addition to the requirements of 18.3.11 Water Resources Protection Zones (Overlays), conserving natural water systems must be considered in the site design through the application of the following guidelines:

a. Designated stream and wetland protection areas are to be considered positive design elements and incorporated in the overall design of a given project.

b. Native riparian plant materials must be planted in and adjacent to the creek to enhance habitat.

4. Storm Water Management.Storm water run-off, from building roofs, driveways, parking areas, sidewalks, and other hard surfaces must be managed through implementation of the following storm water management practices:

a. When required by the City Engineer, the applicant must submit hydrology and hydraulic calculations, and drainage area maps to the City, to determine the quantity of predevelopment, and estimated post-development, storm water runoff and evaluate the effectiveness of storm water management strategies. Computations must be site specific and must account for conditions such as soil type, vegetative cover, impervious areas, existing drainage patterns, flood plain areas and wetlands.

c. Detention volume must be sized for the 25 year, 24 hour peak flow and volume.

d. Development must comply with one or more of following guidelines.

i. Implement storm water management techniques that endeavor to treat the water as close as possible to the spot where it hits the ground through infiltration, evapotranspiration or through capture and reuse techniques.

ii. Use on-site landscape-based water treatment methods to treat rainwater runoff from all surfaces, including parking lots, roofs, and sidewalks.

iii. Use pervious or semi-pervious surfaces that allow water to infiltrate soil.

iv. Design grading and site plans that create a system that slows the stormwater, maximizing time for cleansing and infiltration.

v. Maximizing the length of overland flow of storm water through bioswales and rain gardens,

vi. Use structural soils in those environments that support pavements and trees yet are free draining.

5. Off-Street Parking.Automobile parking, loading and circulation areas must comply with the requirements of chapter 18.4.3 Parking, Access, and Circulation Standards, and as follows:

a. Neighborhood serving commercial uses within the NN-1-3.5-C zone must have parking primarily accommodated by the provision of public parking areas and on-street parking spaces, and are not required to provide private off-street parking or loading areas, except for residential uses where one space shall be provided per residential unit.

6. Neighborhood Module Concept plans.The Neighborhood Module Concept plans (i.e. development scenarios) are for the purpose of providing an example of developments that conform to the standards, and do not constitute independent approval criteria. Concept plans are attached to the end of this chapter.

7. Conformance with Open Space Network Plan.New developments must provide open space consistent with the design concepts within the Greenway and Open Space chapter of the Normal Neighborhood Plan Framework and in conformance with the Normal Neighborhood Plan Open Space Network Map. The open space network will be designed to support the neighborhood’s distinctive character and provide passive recreational opportunities where people can connect with nature, where water resources are protected, and where riparian corridors and wetlands are preserved and enhanced.

a. The application demonstrates that equal or better protection for identified resources will be ensured through restoration, enhancement, and mitigation measures.

b. The application demonstrates that connections between open spaces are created and maintained providing for an interlinked system of greenways.

c. The application demonstrates that open spaces function to provide habitat for wildlife, promote environmental quality by absorbing, storing, and releasing storm water, and protect future development from flood hazards.

d. The application demonstrates that scenic views considered important to the community are protected, and community character and quality of life are preserved by buffering areas of development from one another.

18.3.4.65 Exception to the Site Development and Design Standards

An exception to the requirements Site Development and Design Standards must follow the procedures and approval criteria adopted under section 18.4.1.030, unless authorized under the procedures for a major amendment to plan.

The Ashland Land Use Ordinance is current through Ordinance 3147, passed November 21, 2017.

Disclaimer: The City Recorder’s office has the official version of the Ashland Land Use Ordinance. Users should contact the City Recorder’s office for ordinances passed subsequent to the ordinance cited above.